


The Red King

by SgtLeppard



Category: Queen of Hearts - Colleen Oakes
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood of Wonderland Spoilers, F/M, I have no idea how else to tag this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-25
Updated: 2017-10-25
Packaged: 2019-01-22 10:09:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12479156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SgtLeppard/pseuds/SgtLeppard
Summary: If the meeting by the pool had gone differently...





	The Red King

**Author's Note:**

> >There is no Queen of Hearts fanfiction  
> >Checks out the first two books for fic reference  
> >Holds onto them for nearly two months  
> >Speedwrites fic the day before the books are due back  
> >There is now Queen of Hearts fanfiction
> 
> I love these books, but the way the second book ended... Hoo boy, will there ever be a canon story about the Queen of Hearts where she gets the happy ending she deserves? Maybe the third book will surprise me when it finally comes out?
> 
> For added effect, maybe listen to [Id [Serenity]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3TigEBbzy4) while reading?
> 
> #LetThisShipSail2k17

The day before the march. Dinah wasn't sure how she had managed to forget, but she had. Talking about it with Wardley didn't seem to help the somber scene. After all, it was likely they'd die in this war. Death came for everyone at some point, that much was certain. It was just the how and when. The former Heart Card was certain that most of their allies would perish. As much as they hoped for victory against the tyrannical King of Hearts, there was no telling what the outcome would actually be. They had a runaway, but rightful, princess, a lone Heart, a legion of Spades, and the Yurkei. A formidable force for certain, but the King of Hearts had the other Cards at his disposal, outnumbering them two to one. The future certainly looked bleak.

Despite this, Dinah wanted to make sure that future wasn't as bleak as the ever practical Wardley made it out to be. For her sake, for the good of Wonderland, they had to keep the faith. Without it, they'd be slaughtered.

Maybe it was this passing thought that led to her leaning over him as they laid next to the pool.

"Dinah, what are you doing?"

She kissed him, softly, then pulled back when she realised _what was she doing?_ Wardley remained stock still for a moment, then pulled her close. This kiss was much more forceful. Almost as if... he didn't want to be kissing her.

"Wardley, what is wrong? What are you doing?"

There it was, that ever lingering feeling. She knew it almost as he spoke the words.

"I'm so sorry, Dinah," he breathed, voice shaking. "I can't do this."

Her hands clenched. "What do you mean, you can't do this?"

Wardley sighed. "Please try to understand--"

"Understand what!?" She hadn't meant to shout, but she wanted answers. _Why was he doing this?_ She couldn't take this rejection, not from him. Not from the man who she played with as a child. Not from the man she so dearly loved.

He tried again, sitting up. "Dinah, please just listen to me. I know you're angry, but let me explain."

 _It had better be a damn good explanation,_ she thought as she sat up, silently waiting.

"This is not because I don't love you, I do. I have loved you for so long that it almost physically hurts. Nothing would make me happier than to be by your side as your king, your husband, your lover." Then what the hell was the issue? "But... this war will likely bring my death. I want to spare you the pain as much as I can."

Wait. He was rejecting her _because_ he loved her and not the other way around? Now she was angry and confused. "You think that by rejecting me that I will be spared any amount of pain from your death?" she said.

"There is little point in--"

"There is all the point, Wardley!" She felt like she was grasping at straws. "If you were to die in battle, it would cause me more grief than I could possibly imagine, and that will not change with you turning me away like this."

He sighed again. "I just don't want you to get hurt, Dinah."

She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. Aren't people going to be hurt anyway?"

"I suppose you're right." He drew his gaze back up at her. "If we do this, and I die..."

"I know," Dinah responded. "It will hurt, like you've said. But at least I'll have memories to cherish. Even if this is short-lived, I'll be happy knowing it at least happened. It's better than regretting chances that were never taken."

Wardley chuckled. How she loved that lopsided grin of his. "And if I survive? If we survive?"

"All the better," she answered, smiling herself.

"Then I guess I should not die then," he mused. "My queen will need her king by her side, after all."

She nodded. "Yes, indeed she will."

"Good," he said, leaning in to kiss her once more. This time, it wasn't forced. It was warm and tender. It was wanted. He wanted her. _He wanted her._ And that was all she wanted.

For a moment, they allowed themselves to forget about the impending war, the morning's march, and the pain and suffering that would come with it. Just for a moment of levity. Just themselves, and nothing else.

\----------

Sir Gorrann was beside himself. He had searched the entire camp for hours. Where in the seven hells was Dinah? Cheshire had tried to assure him that she and her king were in need of some alone time. That may be so, but the fact remained that neither had been seen since earlier that afternoon and it was now nighttime. A number of things could've happened. The King of Hearts could've had a spy to come and assassinate her. Wardley could've had ill intentions, as unlikely as it was to imagine it. Hell, they could've fallen off some godsforsaken cliff for all he knew. The fact that Cheshire remained calm and cool about their absence didn't sit right with him.

Thankfully, he spotted them arriving back at camp as if they'd only gone out for a short stroll. "Have yeh any idea how late it is, Yer Majesty?"

"I'm sorry to have worried you, Sir Gorrann, but I was well protected." Dinah nodded her head towards Wardley, who stood beside her and _were they holding hands?_

Gorrann huffed. "Still." He sighed and shook his head. "Well, yer back and unscathed. Guess I shouldn't have been too worried."

Dinah smiled. "Perhaps." She cleared her throat. "Now, I suggest we should all get some rest. Come morning, we march."

That he could certainly agree to, and as he watched the pair go off towards her tent, he couldn't help but feel like a proud parent. While yes, it had been a long time since he had actually been a parent and Dinah was not his child, spending all this time with her gave him a sense of guardianship over her. He couldn't help but wonder, had she been given the chance to grow up, would his own daughter be like her to some degree? Maybe, maybe not. He would never get to know now, but the imagination proved an interesting tool.

He just hoped that despite whatever tender moment Dinah and Wardley had shared, it wouldn't soften her.

\----------

The march had begun. It was somber, just as the day before. Dinah remained quiet as they moved north. She thought of her brother's mangled body. She thought of her fake sister sitting on the throne -- Dinah's rightful throne -- and wearing a crown that did not belong to her. She thought of the King of Hearts and his tyranny, how he ruled Wonderland with a death grip. She thought of being chased out of the palace and being labeled a murderer. They weren't exactly wrong there, but the poor fools didn't know the whole truth.

She glanced to the side, seeing Wardley riding faithfully beside her. While a part of her wanted to reminisce about the night before, she needed her head to be clear. Oddly, he helped in that regard. With him, she would keep focused. With him, she would get the vengeance she so desperately wanted and deserved. Her fire and rage would raze through Wonderland, and he would fan the flames.

Dinah had already proven herself a force to be reckoned with alone, but with Wardley, her Red King, by her side...

_There was nothing she couldn't do._


End file.
